I was originally going to toast ’em, sauce ’em, and toss ’em over a leafy green salad and call it a day, but I knew I’d catch some serious side-eye from the pilot unless I made them into something a wee bit more substantial. Bring on the veggie burgers!!!

Why yes, I absolutely went there. These buffalo chickpea veggie burgers were a total roundhouse kick to the tastebuds in the most amazing way possible. These burgers have some serious skills.

To shape your burgers, cup each ball in your hands and squeeze tightly, rotating as you gently, but firmly, press it into a disc using your thumb. I like mine on the thiner side so middles cook all the way through, but not so thin that they won't hold their shape.

To help the burgers set, cover and refrigerate as you prep your buns or (lettuce wraps!) and toppings. This will give them a little while to set. You can even leave them overnight and cook them up the following day. I often make one after 15-30 minutes of chill time and cook up the rest the following day.

READY TO EAT?

Pour a tablespoon or two of oil in a skillet and heat to medium-high, so the burgers sizzle when you add them to the pan!

Cook for a few minutes on each side until you're left with a golden crust. and a warm center. Repeat for each burger, or cook two at once if you have a big enough pan! I'd skip crowding all four together just because they're a pain to flip when all up in eachother's business.

A tip for perfectly shaped veggie burgers: While sizzling away in the skillet, I nudge the burgers with the backside of my spatula to gently help form the sides into a perfect disc. Works like a charm!

Slather your buns with extra hot/buffalo sauce to taste, pile them high with lettuce, and top each burger with slaw, cheddar, and any and all of your favorite burger toppings. You can even lightly toast the buns on the pan after you cook your veggie burgers - it's a tad awesome! Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Freezer Instructions:

Simply cook the burgers via instructions above, allow to cool a bit, and then freeze (spaced) on a plate or cookie sheet. Once they've had a chance to partially freeze you can wrap them individually and pile them in baggies or your favorite airtight container for fast food without the freaky ingredients. To re-heat, simply pop on a baking sheet in the oven for about 18-20 minutes at 400 F. Enjoy!

No food processor? No problem!

Use a chef’s knife to give your chickpeas a rough chop or use a fork to partially fork-mash the chickpeas. You don’t want them mashed into a paste-like texture because you’ll lose all the awesome texture, but break them up enough that they’re not all whole. As for the oats, you can roughly chop your oats with a knife or use your rolled oats as is. They should still hold together enough to be flipped and taste delicious!

Nutrition facts below are an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Values listed are for the veggie burger patties. Since we all use different toppings/buns/etc... adjust as needed. xo

Nutrition Facts

Buffalo Chickpea Veggie Burgers

Amount Per Serving

Calories 340Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Cholesterol 40mg13%

Sodium 640mg27%

Potassium 531mg15%

Total Carbohydrates 54g18%

Dietary Fiber 12g48%

Sugars 7g

Protein 15g30%

Vitamin A65.5%

Vitamin C28.6%

Calcium8.2%

Iron25.9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you get a chance to try these Buffalo Chickpea Veggie Burgers, let me know! You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!

special diets and swaps

To make this recipe 100% gluten-free (the burger itself is as long as you use GF certified oats) you can use a grain-free bun, wrap it in lettuce, and/or crumble these tasty buffalo burgers over a baked sweet potato or a leafy green salad with an extra drizzle of hot sauce and ranch dressing. YUM!

Vegan? Let’s do this! Make sure you use the flax egg option in the recipe and nix the cheese and you’re gloriously good to go.

veggie burger tips and tricks

Thinner patties will yield more delicious crunch, as you’ll be able to sear more of the top and bottom, plus the middle will cook through much easier. Sometimes I leave them a little thicker for a softer center but I’ll admit, crispy veggie burgers are my favorite!

Giving your oats and chickpeas a rough chop in a food processor helps create the magic that helps keep these burgers together.

In whole form, chickpeas naturally want to slingshot themselves out of your veggie burger with each bite you take. Roughly chopping them in the food processor is totally the way to go. Additionally, processing the oats helps crush some of the whole oats into powder form while leaving the rest partially whole. Both play a key role in binding the burger and giving it it’s awesome texture.

No food processor? No problem! Use a chef’s knife to give your chickpeas a rough chop or use a fork to partially fork-mash the chickpeas. You don’t want them mashed into a paste-like texture because you’ll lose all the awesome texture, but break them up enough that they’re not all whole. As for the oats, you can roughly chop your oats with a knife *or* use your rolled oats as is. They may crumble a wee bit easier than if you used a food processor but they should still hold together enough to be flipped and taste delicious!

Steph

Tanya

Jesse

This is a great consistency for the minimal ingredients! We didn’t have a lot of time to let the mixture sit last night, but cooked up 4 burgers. The 2 we ate yesterday were a little mush, though they stayed together well while cooking. The one I am eating now is very very firm! More “meaty” if you will, though I am eating it at room temperature. I will definitely make these again and try letting them sit overnight (maybe preforming the patties?) and cooking them the next day.

Lora

Nancy

Delicious! I brought leftovers for lunch and my co-workers were jealous. As some below mentioned, there’s a lot of mix in the recipe. I ended up getting 6 generous burgers out of it. Love me some buffalo sauce and chickpeas (having these in the rotation makes the transition to full vegetarian much better!).

Jenn

I made these this week, the recipe says it yields 4 burger patties.. so I formed 4 and cooked and ate one that night, this size of burger I found to be a bit much. They are made of extremely filling ingredients. With the rest of the uncooked mix I formed 8 smaller burgers. I ate one of the smaller ones the next day and it was the perfect amount. The flavor was great I will definitely make these again however I will use less oats.

AJ

We usually stick with black bean burgers for our veggie burgers, but my husband loves buffalo sauce so I had to give these a try! Instead of leaving them choppy, Just went ahead and made a thick puree with everything and they were SO amazing and filling! I left out the jalapeno and used an avocado sauce that we had leftover from fish tacos we made the other night. Delicious!!

Mallory

I’m usually not a huge leaver-of-reviews, but these were AMAZING. My husband isn’t a huge veggie burger guy, and he loved them as well. I did cut the red pepper flakes a bit so they were more friendly for my four year-old. I seriously want to make these again tomorrow, they’re just so good! Thank you, this recipe is definitely a keeper.

Autumn

My fiance and I are definitely meat eaters, but we are trying to cut back by eating a couple veggie meals throughout the week. We made these tonight and fell in love! I left the jalapeno because I was afraid the burgers would end up too spicy, but I think it definitely could have used that extra kick. I’ll add one next time! I definitely would compare it to a spicy chicken sandwich rather than a burger, but either way, we will be making these again! They were super filling but didn’t leave us feeling gross. Thank you for the recipe!

We’re crazy in love with these too! So glad you’re enjoying them and YESSSSS totally add the jalapeño from the recipe list – it’s great flavor for sure! I’ve been loving the addition of jalapeños in the veggie burger mix so much that I’ve done it with three of my recipes now, it’s a favorite 🙂

Jain

I’m getting ready to make these for the second time, and I love them! Piled high with the slaw and guacamole, It’s so filling that I have it without a bun. I find this lighter than a typical black bean burger, I adjust it to taste by omitting the jalapenos and removing the cheese. I can’t wait to try the other recipes.

Myk

These were amazing! I am so happy that I found this recipie. They reheat well also in the old fashion George Forman. I will def. be making more of these and often! Big hit with the MR. who swears they tasted like a spicy chicken sandwhich. Can’t wait to try it with different ingredients…. black beans and corn, Mediterranean…. ! Yummm

Liz

Carol

This was the best burger I’ve ever had! I didn’t blend the beans and oatmeal, just mashed with a fork. I didn’t cook the onions and carrots and I didn’t spice it up, just medium using salsa and a little horseradish. I used EVOO and added Stevia to the slaw. I added sliced tomato. Boy was it sloppy and yummy!!

Karen

Made these as part of a burger cooking frenzy. Baked them instead of pan frying. I think I cooked them too long and will definitely pan fry next time… and there will definitely be a next time. These came out yummy, great flavor. I can’t wait for the family to try them.

Anna

Hey Anna! I’m going to try baking these to get an exact time for ya (and because I need more of these bad boys in my life – YUM!) But my guess for bake-only would be approx 375 degrees F for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through to crisp each side.

So excited you’ll be trying them Karen; I LOVE these burgers! I originally had 3-4 TBSP written there and found it worked best with 1/4 cup. Fixing that right now – super glad you caught it, thanks! 🙂 Hope you absolutely adore the veggie burgers!

Katie

Hi! I made these yesterday and they were really yummy! I’ve been trying to make more meat-free meals, and luckily my somewhat-picky husband really liked these as well! One question—am I reading it correctly that you use 1.5 cups of rolled oats in the burgers? I only used 1 cup in mine, and they were just the right consistency. I was afraid any more oats and they’d be too dry. Only wondering b/c I want to share this recipe with my coworkers, so I figured I’d check on that first. Thanks!

Hi Katie! I usually use 1.5 for all my veggie burger recipes and it works great here, and for many others too so I think there’s a flexible zone with these that one cup works as well as a cup and a half! (ps: it’s totally good to know this if I’m low on oats when making them!) You can tell your friends both methods work if you’d like. I’m so excited you’re sharing the recipe and that you enjoyed it too, thanks Katie!

Sasha

Thank you Sasha! I had some errors moving the recipe over to a new recipe card (with better print options – yay!!!!) but it went missing in the process. I think it’s all fixed now – so terribly sorry about the mix-up in the process! Hope you get a chance to make these burgers – I’m obsessed with them! 🙂

Laurel Clark

SO good!!! I made these tonight for my family– vegetarian husband and 16 yr old, and non-veg 13 yr old and me. We all loved them! Three of us had guacamole, lettuce, tomato and goat cheese on them, one had just the goat cheese. All served on sprouted wheat rolls. They held together well, which is rare with bean burgers. Glad I made a few extra (it made 8 burgers) so I can freeze them and do this again. Thank you!

Thanks so much Maria! I was planning on making a second batch since I didn’t leave any for my husband to try (all mine! haha!) — I’ll see if he wants to fire up the grill with me and experiment! Woot! 🙂

Consider me your guide to all things veggie! It'll be fun, painless, and pretty darn delicious as I teach you to plan your meals around fresh, seasonal produce with a little
help from healthy freezer and pantry staples.

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